(From "Searching for Arizona's Buried Treasures," pages 130-134)
During our two year odyssey of
prospecting and treasure hunting in Arizona, my partners and I heard
countless tales of every description. Most were stories of lost mines,
buried treasures and some so mysterious, they bordered on the
unbelievable.
Many of these tales were related to us
ten, fifteen and thirty years ago, by old prospectors residing in out of
the way hamlets scattered across this picturesque state.
Out of all these stories, my favorite deals with a natural stone archway hidden deep within the Tumacacori Mountains, and located some thirty-odd miles south of Tucson.
These harsh desert hills are well known
within the circle of serious treasure hunters, as several Spanish
missions were built in the shadows of these unfriendly mountains. Rumor
has it, the padres worked numerous silver mines in these hills for well
over a hundred years. Most of this treasure was hastily concealed when
they fled for their lives during the Indian uprising of 1751.
The story however does not concern these
legendary lost mines, but this strange archway we discovered by
accident, before hearing the tale surrounding it. The tale was told to
us by an Indian we happened to befriend on a stretch of highway between
Tucson and the Mexican border.
We first met John on the old Nogales
Highway while returning from Mexico. His old truck had blown a tire, and
not having a spare, he stood beside the road trying to hitch a ride to
the nearest service station.
We had been prospecting in the area for
almost a year, and knew how it felt to be stranded in such a condition.
Stopping, we picked him and his flat tire up, and several miles down the
road arrived at a gas station.
After having the old tire fixed, we
returned John to his truck. He couldn’t stop thanking us enough as not
many white men had shown him such kindness. Afterwards, we returned to
our base camp located near the southern boundaries of the Cerro Colorado
Mountains, some fifteen miles away.
Two months later, we again were back in
the Tumacacoris. One of my partners, Ted [Roy Purdie], had some very
authentic documentation about a Spanish treasure supposedly buried in
these hills.
Late one afternoon a rider came into
camp, and it was John. He recognized us and dismounted. After the
customary handshaking was over, we found out he was working for one of
the nearby ranches. While returning to the corral he spotted our camp
from a distance and rode over as the ranchers always liked to know who
is camping on their spread.
He had been riding this country for
almost twenty years and knew the terrain quite well. Being treasure
hunters, we asked John about several landmarks in the area. Of course he
knew their location and volunteered the information. He also had heard
the various tales of hidden gold, but never searched for any himself.
He told us however, about this
mysterious stone arch and where it was located. I informed him we had
come across such a formation about six months earlier while exploring
the area he mentioned.
John asked us if we had walked through
it. We answered, no, and said we spotted the arch from above and hadn’t
paid much attention to it. And so unfolds the strangest tale we ever
heard.
It seems some Indians were hunting in
the nearby mountains around the 1850s, and while returning to camp
happened upon the stone archway. Being in a good mood as the hunt was
successful, they began chasing each other through the opening in a
playful manner.
A short while later, another hunter
jumped through but never emerged from the opposite side. Fearing they
had entered sacred ground and had angered their Gods, the remaining
Indians fled in terror. Arriving back at the village they told the
medicine man the story of how their young companion had vanished before
their eyes.
As the story spread, others ventured to
the high mountain to gaze upon the archway. One Indian did toss several
rocks through and these appeared on the other side, until the last was
thrown and suddenly vanished. The others backed off in fear and spread
the tale about this “Doorway to the Gods,” as it came to be known.
Others, curious about the tale would
travel miles to look at the mysterious archway, hoping they wouldn’t
invoke the anger of the Mountain God. Another time, an older Indian
approached the opening with a live rabbit he had captured and tossed the
animal through several times, but it never vanished. John’s father once
threw a live lizard in and it disappeared immediately.
John himself has been to the site on
numerous occasions and the only time he witnessed anything strange was
during the fall of 1949.
A big storm had blown into Arizona and
the sky was completely covered with dark clouds in all directions. As he
rode past the archway he noticed the sky seen through the entrance was
“blue,” but there wasn’t any break in the clouds above.
Dismounting, he walked cautiously toward
the arch and peered through at a safe distance. The mountains on the
other side hadn’t changed and looked the same, but the sky didn’t have a
single cloud showing, and sunlight was shining brightly. Fear gripped
him and John slowly backed away. Reaching his horse, he mounted and rode
off.
I asked him, if the story is true, why
haven’t any scientists from the University of Arizona located in Tucson,
investigated the strange phenomenon? He said his people have known
about the archway for almost a hundred years, but the tale has never
been told to a white man before.
We asked him why he related the story to
us. Smiling, John replied that we had shown him kindness when he was
stranded on the highway, and thought he would repay the favor by telling
us this rather interesting story.
My partners and I returned to the site
of the archway several times, but during these visits nothing out of the
ordinary occurred.
It’s located in a remote region in the
Tumacacori (To-ma-cock-o-ree) Mountains near two high peaks. There are
some strange rock formations in the general vicinity, but I’m certain
these have nothing to do with the natural stone doorway. On one side of a
steep hill is an enormous deposit of geodes or “thunder eggs” and other
semi-precious stones. We removed most from the surface, but beneath the
ground must be a large amount of these oddities of nature.
Once I approached the opening and slowly
passed a long stick through, but nothing occurred. Next I placed my
outstretched arm in but again nothing. Ted and my brother stood off to
one side shouting I was flirting with danger if the story was true. To
this day I regret not letting out a “yell” as I put my arm in, just to
see the expressions of their faces. I have to admit though it would have
been a dirty trick to play.
This archway could be some “freak” of
nature or a rip in the fabric of time, and pulsating very slowly.
Perhaps this doorway remains open for short periods, and then closes for
minutes, days or weeks.
I often wonder what became of the young
Indian supposedly swallowed up by the arch many years ago. If it’s some
type of a miniature “Bermuda Triangle,” did he venture back or forward
in time, or into another dimension?
When John saw the blue sky he did
mention the surrounding country remained the same, so perhaps he was
gazing only a couple of years back or forward in time. If this doorway
was visible from the opposite side why didn’t the Indian try to re-enter
and come back through? It might be he “never” realized a change had
taken place, and to him, his friends had vanished. If this is the case,
he might have thought they were playing a trick on him and went off
searching for his companions. This is only speculation on my part.
Maybe others, such as miners, cowboys,
prospectors, etc., have come upon this formation during their travels,
but like us, never approached it. As stated earlier, it’s located in a
very remote area and I doubt if many have seen it. Not hearing the tale
about the arch, most would have only given it a quick glance before
moving on.
I haven’t been back to the site since 1977 and, John no
doubt has long since passed away. Perhaps during Indian ceremonies, this
strange story is told around open camp fires. There is also the
possibility the location as been long forgotten, and the modern Indians
of today looks upon the story as just another “tall tale” told by the
old ones.
It might be just a legend, but the
archway is there. I for one wouldn’t challenge it by bravely walking
into the “Gorgon’s Den.” On the other hand, the power that once
surrounded this arch could have faded away years ago. I, or anyone else,
would be foolish to risk being swept away into some unknown domain to
prove the story of the “Doorway to the Gods,” told to us thirty years
ago by our friend John, is true.
Note: Another version of this story appeared in Ron’s
article “The Mysterious Plateau” in Fate – Magazine, Vol. 59, No. 3,
Issue 671, March 2006, Pages 18-25.
